TP-Link Archer VR2100 AC2100Mbps Wireless MU-MIMO VDSL/ADSL Modem Router, Dual-Band WiFi Router, Speed Up To 2.1 Gbps, OneMeshTM, Versatile Connectivity, 4 x Gigabit Ports +1x 3.0 USB Port, Easy Setup

I got this TP-Link Archer VX1800v to replace a Draytek unit that had been in for around 10 years and was dropping the wifi network every few days. Out of the box it feels a lot cheaper than the Draytek unit, but then it was over £150 cheaper so that's to be expected. The unit itself is pretty simple to setup. Just set a password, select your broadband provider from the list, enter the username and passwrd for the circuit and set your wifi to either bridge 2.4Ghz and 5Ghz, or run them as 2 seperate networks. I ran the firmware upgrade as out of the box it's a few upgrades shy of where it needs to be. I've also changed the WIFI network, LAN address and tweaked another couple of elements, but I configure these as part of my job so I know them very well. In terms of WIFI speed, it's very good, and has better coverage than the old router. Comparable speeds have increased for the furthest away devices from around 20Mb to 70Mb download, so pretty much full download and upload speeds. The 4 ethernet ports are handy to have, although I'm only using one for a printer. Good throughput so no issues there. Only thing I've found slow is configuration changes, which can take a couple of minutes to do the reboot, then another 90 seconds to pick up the DSL connection, so a reboot is really around 4 minutes compared to the Draytek which was 90 seconds. Overall, it's a great router on a budget. Supports all ADSL connections, including G-FAST, simple to use, really simple to setup and so far so good. No dropouts at all after 4 days. Happy to recommend

For anyone replacing a Smart Hub 2 who’s not on full fibre. I’ve done so many Google searches and not found an answer for someone in the situation I found myself in, so here goes. You’ll need the username for your account to switch (usually first [email protected]) and then it’s straightforward enough following the instructions in the box. Should have taken minutes but for the fact that BT gave me instructions (see picture) to select ADSL and PPoA when I really needed to select VDSL and PPoEL. TP-link queried this advice but BT re-confirmed the settings after another long session with their Technical team. On the unit itself - great price, a bit ugly with its Freddie Kruger antennae, its turbo charged the upload and download speeds (fourfold in the case of upload, double for download), good strength signal nearby but quick drop off in a house with solid walls (I’ll need to investigate mesh extenders), and a very user-friendly app. Some nice features including guest wi-fi (the reason I had to abandon the BT Smart Hub). Now it’s set up I’m very pleased, and still disappointed with BT. 1hr 38m onto Technical help trying to talk me through setting up a guest wi-if before they gave up and sent an engineer who told me within 2 minutes that the Smart Hub 2 doesn’t support Guest wi-fi and I needed to buy a third party router. Then the whole PPoA saga. TP-link feels like a fresh start with an app interface I can understand and settings I can change easily from my phone, and those better speeds coming at a time when the Smart Hub speeds were starting to cause issues for TV watching and device overload.

This review is for the VR-600 type 2 (aka AC1600 II). I should also say that I got this quite cheap from a third party sale, £60 plus £1.92 postage, for an opened box. When I tried to set it up, it demanded a password, but first time it should have prompted me for one of my choosing. It had clearly been used, and I had to press the "reset" button, and after that I was able to set it up. I have to say it's fairly solid in operation. One feature I couldn't use is the "5G" wireless, the internal walls in our flat totally defeated the 5G signal. However, the 2.4G signal was much better, and we can now get a reasonable signal in our bedroom, we couldn't with our previous router. It an old brick-built maisonette, and the signal has to pass through 2 brick-built walls and a solid concrete ceiling to get from the router to the bedroom, so that's a plus. Even though the "signal strength" seems to drop on its indicator, it still continues to work, with our previous modem it would keep dropping. Setting it up was straightforward. Later I was able to locate, amongst the "Advanced Settings" a place to allocate all our domestic stuff, including TV, phone, computer, a fixed IP address. It tends to keep connections more stable, and means that you can do more within the network. I've not been able to work out what this TP-Link Cloud is all about yet, seems that a lot of pointless nonsense, I've not been able to find a use for it at all. I was hoping that maybe I could download files from the USB drive plugged in, or use the wirelessly connected printer, but no. All in all, a good modem, does the job, but the so-called "Extras" are mostly a waste of time and effort for me. Loses a star because the signal strength isn't quite what was expected from reviews (though better than the ISP router), and the 5G connection, for me, caused more problems than it was worth, so I disabled it, and for the hype. Glad I bought it though.

This TP-Link Archer VX1800v dual-band wifi Gigabit router with VDSL2 and VoIP replaces a trusty old wifi TD-W8970 which was working beautifully with an external Vigor 130 VDSL2 Modem but they lacked a VoIP socket. And BT is taking away my old copper analogue landline. This VX1800 offers that essential VoIP and VDSL2, simplifying my system. In addition it has improved security, much faster WiFi 6 and excellent internet speeds. Best of all, I still don’t need to unpack the undesirable and relatively ancient Home Hub2 from its box. On a 24/7 average it’s using the same level of power as the previous setup; the VX1800v varies between two to eight Watts, depending on LAN and WAN activity and chosen WiFi power level. Set-up is easy if you know what all the acronyms mean, but if you don't then it is possible to make mistakes. Displaying relevant downloaded VX1800v user manual pages alongside the admin pages when logged into the router helped, but keeping track between them and in context considerably slowed down configuration. With the Quick Set-up it can be connected in only a couple of minutes, mostly taken by negotiating with the ISP. But then customising it for a complicated local network might take hours. I have set Static IP addresses in all my wired network devices, checked all the firewalls were On (default is On), let the DHCP search between 2 and 254, and set new passwords for the router Admin, and also the WiFi. It also let me set up a Guest WiFi access with its own tough password. I also updated the firmware; fortunately the VX1800 kept all my settings. As a precaution I had backed them up on the PC in case a restore was needed to put them in place again. I tested the WiFi range with my laptop while setting up, to check the security and password system, and discovered I could be sitting fifty feet away in the shade of a tree in the garden, or just outside in the street in my car, and still transfer at the full speed. This wifi reach is further than before; I may reduce the power level. The VDSL2+ Broadband speed Fibre To The Cabinet is 55Mb/s and 10.5Mb/s, same as before with the old devices. It will be much better when the ONT sits next to it.

Great Wi-Fi 6 performance, but very poor LAN performance. I originally sent one of these back because the LAN performance on my SKY Q mini boxes was very bad, Glitching and jumping. The replacement is the same. I did some A-B-A testing with my old router and proved it is this router that has the issue. I have accepted that when I watch my LAN connected SKY Q mini boxes, that I have to put up with the glitching. I only watch them occasionally anyway. The main LAN connected SKY Q box is fine. I have given 1 star because the Wi-Fi is fine. Perhaps there's settings I need to look in to? No idea? You would think that TP-Link having LAN experience for over 30 years, it would work. LAN is a very basic protocol.

I needed to replace my old router, which had become temperamental and needed regular re-starting. I twinned this new router with the TP-Link AC1750 dual band extender, as the router is located in a loft conversion, two floors up and as far away as it is possible to get from the Fire TV receiver. It's also an old house with solid walls. The previous wifi set-up (Netgear DGN2200 router and a Netgear N300 extender) struggled to provide a consistent and adequate signal on the ground floor, so TV programmes would often freeze and glitch (especially on BBC iPlayer), and web access on phones and tablets would often be frustratingly slow. The router takes up a fair bit of room: it is 26x23cm and sits flat on the desk. There is an array of LED indicators on top, which can be switched off when not needed. All the connections are on the back - 4 Ethernet ports and a single line-in for the phone connection. WPS button on the side. The whole thing feels solid and appears well made. Set-up was incredibly easy. The only reason it took me more than 5 minutes was that I had forgotten my ISP password (Doh!). Once I had sorted that out, it was a piece of cake. Connect it all up and attach the aerials; turn on the computer and router; reassure the anti-virus that the new network is safe; launch the browser and tap in the URL provided; follow the wizard, which includes options to name your network(s) and set your own password(s); there is a drop-down list of ISPs so you just have to select your own, put in user name and password, and you're there. Another 2 minutes to set up and position the extender and I had 5 bar wifi all over the house. The Fire TV now runs without a hitch, and web speeds have visibly improved. The great feature of this is the dual band. If you use both, you can choose which band each device connects to. That means I can use the 5GHz band exclusively for the TV and the 2.4 GHz for everything else. Now we can have good internet access and TV at the same time. It isn't the cheapest device, but it is well worth it for the quality and the ease of use (even for a total non-techie like me).

Received it a few days ago, watched a few YouTubes on how to set it for TalkTalk before it came, they mention contact the provider for username etc. No need to the settings are all in the router, you go through the basic set up and when it comes to select your ISP just click TalkTalk and the router puts all the settings in. Carry on and enter your wireless SSID and password and your good to go. Other settings are self explanatory. You can even set the LEDs to go off and on at certain times. I would recommend this as a versatile and great ADSL Modem router. If you have a fibre modem there is a WAN/LAN dedicated port for that to use it just as a router. Just position the antennae as shown in the manual with the outer two at thirty degrees and the two inner ones straight up. Good speed and decent WI-FI coverage its a great modem/router.

Edit after 18 months The unit has developed a fault where it appears to turns itself off as it goes through the boot sequence - although it does not in reality - it goes into night LED mode where the leds turn off. Following an exchange of emails with TP link support they suggested I tried to log into router and check the LED control function. Enabling the LED control function (advanced tab | System tools) and then disabling it restored the LEDs to life; although if you reboot, then the LEDs go blank again. Looking at the LEDs, it appears that one has failed as there is no light where these should be light and I believe this failed LED is causing the problem. This is not a show stopper - yet - unless it is a failure that is the first of many. Original review This was bought to replace a Talk Talk D-Link Modem Router. The Talk Talk router is not a bad router, but it was limited, esp on the 5g wireless range, which would not cover the whole house. As others have said, it is very easy to set up and does not take long. Interesting enough, unlike most other routers which I would configure off line, it is probably best to plug it into your ADSL/VDSL line when you start configuring it. The Modem/Router will lead you through a series of screens in setting it up and at the end of this you should have an operational wireless network with internet access. Before you start, ensure you have your ISP username & password (often domestic VDSL does not have one being tied to the phone line) and I would decide on a couple of things before you start: (A) the names and passwords of the 2.4/5g wireless networks and (b) an Email address and password that you will use to log into the router after doing the basic setup. The one thing that has taken me time before in setting up a new router and home network has been printers - where I have been pressing the WPS button on the router and running to the printer to press the button there. This router has an online WPS button, so you can put your laptop by the printer, log into the router, press the online WPS button, reach over to the printer and press the WPS button and see if it connects. This saved me a lot of time, given my printers past reluctance to connect first time. Within the router screens there is potentially a lot of options with basic and advanced options. I have used some of the advanced options - the number and variations of the options reminds me of Draytek routers presented in rather more user friendly manner. If you need rock sold reliability and need to maintain VPNs between fixed ip addresses, buy a Draytek - it is what they are really good at. So far I have fixed the IP addresses of the printers from the router, and am planning to look at the parental controls module - which from a cursory look allows you to restrict the times that a specified device can access the internet, and also to operate blacklisting or white listing if you so wish. Bear in mind this is not a small router. - it is 27cm wide and 22cm deep and needs 17cm of height. You can fix it to a wall as the bottom cover has screw indentations, but all the ports and aerials are at the back, so would be at the top if set up this way. One issue you might have here is the length of the cable from the powerblock - it is only about 1m in length Operationally the router has done everything I have wanted it to, primarily extending the range of the 5g network to cover the whole house and then some. I know I could have set up a mesh wireless network to achieve the same results, but I prefer one box, not the multiple boxes that this would need - however a much bigger house, or a building with a lot of steel in it might need this solution. Overall I am pleased with this. Time will tell as to its longevity and reliability.

Perhaps I should have paid more attention to the origin of this product, sold by Amazon.Au. It came from U.K. and had a U.K. plug on the power transformer ( for delivery to Australia? Not any advice to the customer?). However; no problem; I had an Aust. compatible unit. Plugged it in; it powered up. Plugged in the DSL cord; WiFi symbols came on; but the DSL "handshake" failed; also turning off the unit. Changed to an Aust. DSL cord; similar result. Cautionary Tale: buying International Products via Amazon.Au gives the purchaser no avenue of Warranty cover; and if you don't test the product within 1 week of Delivery: no avenue to return the item to Amazon.Au BUYERS BEWARE!

Der Router hält, was er verspricht. Schnelles, stabiles WLAN auf beiden Frequenzen .alles läuft einwandfrei. Die Einrichtung über die Tether-App ging super einfach, auch für technisch weniger Versierte. Besonders positiv: Der Verkäufer war sehr nett und hilfsbereit. So wünscht man sich das! Klare Kaufempfehlung für alle, die einen zuverlässigen Router mit starker Ausstattung suchen.

Leider nicht kompatibel obwohl es in der Beschreibung stand

I used it as an internet connection between my computer destop and the modem.

Happy with item, but the power adapter in the packet is not suitable for Australia, If I know this early, I won’t buy that product.